Released in 1991 on BMG Victor / Novus, I Remember Jaco is a deeply heartfelt instrumental tribute to the legendary bass innovator Jaco Pastorius, led by tenor saxophonist and arranger Bob Mintzer. Assembling an incredible rhythm section comprising drum master Peter Erskine (Jaco's longtime Weather Report bandmate) alongside bassists Jeff Andrews and Michael Formanek, the quartet celebrates Pastorius's musical legacy without relying on mere imitation. Featuring Mintzer originals alongside an intricate, swinging cover of Jaco’s classic "Three Views of a Secret," the ensemble navigates tight post-bop grooves, expressive electric bass interplay, and rich tenor sax improvisations. Highlighted by dynamic cuts like "The Visionary," "The Great Chase," and the sprawling 11-minute closer "Truth," this date remains one of the finest modern tributes to Pastorius's enduring impact on jazz.

Released in 2007 on Heads Up, Brown Street is a monumental live double-album capturing keyboard maestro Joe Zawinul performing his iconic Weather Report and Solo catalog backed by the powerhouse WDR Big Band Köln. Arranged by Vince Mendoza, the live recording at Zawinul's famous Birdland club in Vienna bridges explosive big band horn orchestrations with Zawinul's pioneering synthesizer textures and vocoder leads. Joined by Weather Report veterans—percussionist Alex Acuña and bassist Victor Bailey—alongside drumming dynamo Nathaniel Townsley, the ensemble delivers electrifying, larger-than-life reinventions of fusion benchmarks including "Black Market," "A Remark You Made," "In A Silent Way," and "Night Passage." Standing as one of Zawinul's final masterworks before his passing in late 2007, Brown Street is an indispensable triumph of orchestral jazz-fusion.

Released in 1992 on Columbia Records, Lost Tribes is a fiery, rhythmically explosive world-fusion entry from keyboard pioneer Joe Zawinul and his celebrated post-Weather Report outfit, The Zawinul Syndicate. Pushing beyond the boundaries of traditional jazz fusion, Zawinul crafts a sprawling tapestry of global grooves, combining African polyrhythms, Latin percussion, futuristic synthesizer orchestrations, and vocoder textures. Anchored by the powerhouse rhythm section of bassist Gerald Veasley, drummer Mike Baker, and percussionists Bobby Thomas Jr. and Bill Summers, the album features standout fusion anthems including the hard-driving "Patriots," the groove-heavy "Victims Of The Groove," and the tropical-tinged "Rua Paula Freitas." Rich in atmospheric storytelling and complex group interplay, Lost Tribes remains one of the finest documents of Zawinul's pioneering vision for global music.

Released in 2012 by Sony Legacy, The Columbia Albums 1971-1975 is a comprehensive 7-CD box set tracing the foundational formative era of legendary jazz fusion pioneers Weather Report. Led by keyboard titan Joe Zawinul and saxophonist/composer Wayne Shorter, this collection gathers the band's essential early output: Weather Report (1971), I Sing the Body Electric (1972), the full 2-CD double album Live in Tokyo (1972), Sweetnighter (1973), Mysterious Traveller (1974), and Tale Spinnin' (1975). Featuring iconic band members such as bassist Miroslav Vitouš, percussionists Airto Moreira and Dom Um Romão, bassist Alphonso Johnson, and drummer Chester Thompson, this box set documents the group's seismic evolution from ambient, open-ended avant-garde soundscapes into funk-infused, groove-heavy world jazz masters, packed with bonus tracks, alternative takes, and rare live recordings.

Weather Report is generally regarded as the greatest jazz fusion band of all time, with the biggest jazz hit ("Birdland") from the best jazz fusion album (1977's Heavy Weather). But the group's studio mastery sometimes overshadows the fact that it was also a live juggernaut – so don't overlook the outstanding live and studio album from 1979, 8:30. This was a rare quartet version of Weather Report, with co-leaders in keyboardist Joe Zawinul and saxophonist Wayne Shorter. The bassist was the inimitable Jaco Pastorius, the drummer a young Peter Erskine. Pastorius is otherworldly on early gems like "Black Market," the breakneck "Teen Town," and his solo showcase, "Slang" (in which he quotes Jimi Hendrix's "Third Stone from the Sun"). Shorter is most involved on the CD's slower pieces like "A Remark You Made," "In a Silent Way," and his own solo piece, "Thanks for the Memory"; Zawinul and Erskine shine on the swinging version of "Birdland" and roller coaster ride of the "Badia/Boogie Woogie Waltz" medley. Four studio tracks (composing what was side four of the original album version) close 8:30 with a flourish – and some surprises.

Recorded Live In London in the ’80s. Originally recorded for Radio broadcast, but now available on CD.
No band in the history of modern jazz has left a more transformative legacy than Weather Report. During their lifetime (1971-1986) they elevated this uniquely American art form to an unprecedented level of critical and commercial acclaim. Their command of the jazz idiom - instrumental mastery, compositional innovation, improvisational genius - took them on a voyage ‘round the world to people and places far beyond the New York nightspots and Europe concert halls that had long-served as the measure of a musician’s success. By drawing from such a worldly panorama, Weather Report became an international phenomenon, a “lingua franca” all its own, their fans as enthusiastic and supportive as those associated with rock and pop stars.

While side two of I Sing the Body Electric gives us heavily edited glimpses of Weather Report as heard live in Tokyo, this two-disc Japanese import contains entire group ensembles from that concert - and as such, it is a revelation. Now we can follow the wild, stream-of-consciousness evolution of early Weather Report workouts, taking the listener into all kinds of stylistic territory - from Joe Zawinul's lone acoustic piano to dissonant free form and electronic explosions - with lots of adjustments of tempo and texture. The pulse of jazz is more evident in their work here than on their American albums, and the example of Miles Davis circa the Fillmore concerts directs the fierce interplay. In his subsequent recordings with Weather Report, and as a leader, Wayne Shorter would rarely equal the manic intensity he displayed in Tokyo…

Weather Report is generally regarded as the greatest jazz fusion band of all time, with the biggest jazz hit ("Birdland") from the best jazz fusion album (1977's Heavy Weather). But the group's studio mastery sometimes overshadows the fact that it was also a live juggernaut - so don't overlook the outstanding live and studio album from 1979, 8:30. This was a rare quartet version of Weather Report, with co-leaders in keyboardist Joe Zawinul and saxophonist Wayne Shorter. The bassist was the inimitable Jaco Pastorius, the drummer a young Peter Erskine. Pastorius is otherworldly on early gems like "Black Market," the breakneck "Teen Town," and his solo showcase, "Slang" (in which he quotes Jimi Hendrix's "Third Stone from the Sun"). Shorter is most involved on the CD's slower pieces like "A Remark You Made," "In a Silent Way," and his own solo piece, "Thanks for the Memory"; Zawinul and Erskine shine on the swinging version of "Birdland"…

Here we have the free-floating, abstract beginnings of Weather Report, which would define the state of the electronic jazz/rock art from its first note almost to its last. Their first album is a direct extension of the Miles Davis In a Silent Way/Bitches Brew period, more fluid in sound and more volatile in interplay. Joe Zawinul ruminates in a delicate, liquid manner on Rhodes electric piano; at this early stage, he used a ring modulator to create weird synthesizer-like effects. Wayne Shorter's soprano sax shines like a beacon amidst the swirling ensemble work of co-founding bassist Miroslav Vitous, percussionist Airto Moreira, and drummer Alphonse Mouzon. Zawinul's most memorable theme is "Orange Lady" (previously recorded, though uncredited, by Davis on Big Fun), while Shorter scores on "Tears" and "Eurydice." One of the most impressive debuts of all time by a jazz group.

Like the weather itself, this band would assume a new shape with virtually every release - and this album, half recorded in the studio and half live in Tokyo, set the pattern of change. Exit Airto Moreira and Alphonse Mouzon; enter percussionist Dom Um Romao, drummer Eric Gravatt, and a slew of cameo guests like guitarist Ralph Towner, flutist Hubert Laws, and others. The studio tracks are more biting, more ethnically diverse in influence, and more laden with electronic effects and grandiose structural complexities than before. The live material (heard in full on the import Live in Tokyo) is even fiercer and showcases for the first time some of the tremendous drive WR was capable of, though it doesn't give you much of an idea of its stream of consciousness nature.